The West Indian Literature Conference has been the site for intellectual, creative inquiry concerning the literary, imaginative expression of the Caribbean. This year's conference will be held from October 28 - 30, 2021.
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About the West Indian Literature Conference
Originating in the 1980s, the conference began as a collaborative effort between the University of the West Indies, the College of the Virgin Islands and the University of Guyana to bring together academics and practitioners dedicated to exploring the Anglophone literature of the region. Held annually, this event has seen the growth and establishment of significant Caribbean literary scholarship that has moved beyond its original focus on the English-speaking West Indies to include the wider Caribbean and its diasporas. It has also expanded its partnerships to involve the University of Miami, the University of Puerto Rico, the College of The Bahamas in Nassau and other regional institutions in support of its commitment to knowledge production about the Caribbean.
The conference has addressed diverse themes that have looked at the Caribbean and its creative legacies from many perspectives to examine issues around cultural identity, canon formation, the significance of technology, landscape and social transformation, among many others. The work continues to build on contributions by the stalwarts and pioneers that have helped to shape our understanding and engagement within this field. As such, the 39
th annual conference on West Indian Literature pivots the focus to what comes next. This year’s theme – Contemporary Currents in Caribbean Literature – looks toward recent publications within the last 20 years of the current millennium to explore emerging perspectives, voices, and aesthetics that challenge established ideas of canon and continue to trouble what it means to exist and write from a Caribbean perspective.